Stranger on the Shore (Mirabelle Harbor, Book 4) by Marilyn Brant

Ringling Boulevard. It was so early, there were still a bunch of spaces when we got here.”
    “What about Marianna?” Gil asked, turning his inquiring eyes back on me. “Did you park near them?”
    “I don’t know,” I confessed, trying to remember where, exactly, I’d found that spot for my car all those hours ago. “It was on a little side street. Off St. Armand’s Circle. Sort of near Fudge Fantasia.”
    The others exchanged a look, and Abby said, “Nope. That’s nowhere near us. But we can drive you to your car. It shouldn’t take us long to find it with it being this late and everything being so empty now.”
    “Or, I’d be happy to walk you there,” Gil suggested. “I’m parked in that vicinity. Just give me a couple of minutes to close up my shop.”
    I was rendered momentarily mute by his offer. No one had cared enough to see me to my car in a dozen years at least. Donny had never been thoughtful that way, and there had been only a handful of friends and no lovers since he’d left.
    Joy shot me a cryptic glance. “Marianna needs to get her stuff regardless, and I have to grab a few things from the backroom. We’ll be back in a sec.” Joy motioned for me to follow her. “I noticed you got really quiet,” she whispered when we were alone. “This is totally your call. I can vouch for Gil being a gentleman and, well, he’s my brother. I know he’s a good guy. But if you don’t feel comfortable having him walk you to your car, we can overrule him. Just say the word, and we’ll drive you to where you parked instead.”
    I realized my new friend had completely misinterpreted the reason for my silence. “It’s okay if he walks me,” I managed to say, my pulse kicking up a notch at the prospect of getting to chat with Gil alone for a few minutes. “I trust your feelings about him. He seemed to be a really good guy when I met him at the beach, and now knowing he’s your brother...well...”
    I didn’t have a chance to finish the thought before Joy interrupted. “Oh, good!” Joy snatched up her tote bag and her keys. “Because I can tell he’d like to talk with you for longer. You must have made quite an impression on him when you first met.”
    She could tell he’d like to talk with me for longer? How could she tell?
    I opened my mouth to ask, but all that came out was, “What color is he, Joy?”
    She laughed. “Very aquamarine,” she said immediately, then paused. “That’s complementary to turquoise, you know. Not just the shade but the aura.” Then she dashed out of the room before I could question her further.
    “Ready?” Abby asked.
    Joy nodded and jingled her keys in the air. “Okay, y’all. We’re set. Gil, you can walk Marianna to her car. Lorelei and Abby, same time tomorrow morning?”
    Lorelei piped up. “I’ll be in front of your building at seven forty-five.”
    Abby grabbed her purse. “Works for me.”
    “Great.” Joy turned to me. “I know I roped you into this for tomorrow, too, and I’m not letting you off the hook,” Everyone laughed. “But, you don’t have to show up here at the crack of dawn either. We’ll be around from eight a.m. onward. If you want to come at eight thirty or nine or even nine thirty—”
    “I’ll be here at eight as well,” I said decisively. “You can count on it.”
    This earned her another heartfelt smile from Joy. Abby clapped. And Lorelei said, “Thank you, honey.”
    As for Gil, I was too self-conscious to glance at him in order to gauge his reaction, but I sensed positive vibes coming from his general direction.
    As Joy locked up The Beaded Periwinkle, her brother disappeared into Castaways to close up for the night, too. He emerged in less than three minutes with a tan leather briefcase, one of the shop’s plastic bags, and a large sketchpad.
    Everyone said their goodnights. Then Gil and I began strolling away from the other women, toward Fudge Fantasia.
    It was a pleasant evening. Still hot by Midwestern